Daily Archives: February 25, 2009

I have just been tipped off that no fewer than 11 ministerial aides have signed the motion opposing Lord Mandelson’s part-privatisation of the Royal Mail.

Given that parliamentary private secretaries (PPSs) tend not to sign early day motions under Parliamentary convention, this is a striking facet of the rebellion. The EDM has now hit 132 Labour signatures. Read more

A slew of private finance initiative deals are likely to be rescued with state support in coming months. But if you were expecting the government to properly tell taxpayers about the extra risk they are taking on, think again.

Yesterday eagle-eyed Mark Pritchard, a Tory MP, was tipped off about a significant announcement in an “unnumbered command paper”. It announced that ministers had offered contractors bigger state-guarantees to save the largest PFI deal in Britain. But it was laid before the House in such a way as to be all but hidden. Can this be right? Read more

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FT journalists live blog during key events as the UK prepares to leave the European Union

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Jim Pickard is the FT's chief political correspondent, having joined the lobby team in January 2008. He has been at the FT since 1999 as a regional correspondent, assistant UK news editor and property correspondent.

Kate Allen is a political correspondent for the FT. She joined the lobby team in October 2015, after two years as the FT's property correspondent. She previously spent a decade covering housing on various business magazines.